Blade Free LASIK (a.k.a No Blade LASIK) is lasik done with a combination of a femtosecond laser and an excimer laser.
When LASIK first started, the lasik flap was created by a mechanical microkeratome, followed by corneal reshaping with an excimer laser. The mechanical microkeratome is a complex and delicate mechanical instrument, which incorporates an oscillating blade to create the LASIK flap. While LASIK is a very safe procedure, most of the problems during LASIK (or post-LASIK) related to the use of the mechanical microkeratome. These problems were partly because of mechanical problems during the flap creation process. It was also partly because of the lack of precision associated with a rather difficult mechanical instrument.
Blade Free LASIK uses a femtosecond laser to fire millions of extremely tiny pulses of laser light, in a horizontal plane on the cornea. Each pulse of the laser light converts a tiny amount of corneal tissue into gas. When millions of pulses are laid down, the cornea gets seperated along a plane. When properly directed, this can be used to create a LASIK flap, which can then be lifted to one side, just like a conventional lasik flap.
Blade Free LASIK was first introduced in the beginning of the current century by a company called Intralase (the company is now part of a large ophthalmic company called AMO). Initially, the Intralase used very high energy and a low pulse frequency. This often lead to a lot of inflammation in the eye, and other side effects. Today, the Intralase (the current model is called iFS) is a more accomplished machine, which allows relatively effortless flap making. In the meantime, other companies like Zeimer (Femto-LDV,Swiss), Carl Zeiss Meditec (VisuMax, German), and Technolas 20/10 Perfect Vision (Femtec, German) have introduced faster machines, which use even lower energy and higher frequency than the Intralase. In our personal knowledge, the iFS, Femto-LDV, and VisuMax machines all create nice flaps, with a much higher degree of precision and safety than previous generations of femtosecond lasers, and the current generations of mechanical microkeratomes.
On the flip side, femtosecond lasers are costly, and there are license fees associated with every use of the laser. This makes Blade Free LASIK much costlier than LASIK done with a mechanical microkeratome.
See later posts for advantages of the femtosecond laser.
#1 by Pradhuman on February 22, 2010 - 12:02 am
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HI,
I have undergone a pre LASIK test in Delhi and was found eligible for blade-free LASIK.
My purpose for undergoing LASIK treatment is that I want to become eligible for candidacy in IAF technical wing.
Recently IAF has started permitting LASIK candidates:
http://www.rediff.com/news/2009/jan/18vision-corrected-candidates-too-can-join-iaf.htm
The IAF’s condition comprises completion of one year of the vision-correction surgery at the time of application, post-surgery eyeball length of not more than 25.5 mm and cornea thickness of not less than 450 microns
As per test my Cornea Thickness is ~500microns both eyes
Is there any LASIK procedure(BLADE-FREE,Custom LASIK,Epi LASIK ) available that can suit my requirement?
Hope to hear from you soon!
Regards,
Pradhuman
#2 by samir on March 23, 2010 - 6:41 am
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LASIK corrects refractive errors by removing corneal tissue selectively. In LASIK for myopia, approximately 15 microns per diopter of correction is removed from the central cornea. Generally speaking, 400 microns of central corneal thickness remaining after LASIK is considered safe. With Blade Free LASIK, this may be brought down to perhaps 375 microns.
However, in your case the IAF has specified a criteria of 450 microns (quite needlessly, in my opinion, and in a typical bureaucratic manner). So if you have a starting corneal thickness of 500 microns, and a refractive error of less than -4 diopters, you should be eligible for the IAF criteria.
The IAF has also specified a condition of 25.5 mm eyeball length. LASIK will not affect the eyeball length. However, the larger your refractive error, the more likely your eyeball length will be higher. You should undergo an A Scan biometry exam to verify your eye ball length.
Best of luck in your future endeavours.